A device has been developed to measure the force caused by a beam of charged and neutral particles impacting a target plate. This device, an impact thrust stand, was developed to allow thrusters, during early stages of development, to be quickly and easily exhausted and compared to other thrusters. Since some thruster concepts are tested using laboratory equipment that is heavy and cumbersome, measuring the momentum flux of the particles in the plume can be much simpler than placing the entire thruster on a thrust stand. Conservation of momentum requires the momentum flux measured in the plume to be related to the thrust produced by the thruster. The impact thrust stand was designed to be placed in the plume of an electric thruster and has been tested and compared to the thrust measured from a Hall thruster placed on a pendulum thrust stand. Force measurements taken at several axial locations in the magnetic nozzle region of the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket will be presented.
Momentum Flux Measurements Using an Impact Thrust Stand
American Physical Society 46th Annual Meeting of the Division of Plasma Physics, ; 2004 ; Savannah, GA, United States
01.01.2004
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Validating a Plasma Momentum Flux Sensor to an Inverted Pendulum Thrust Stand
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